A lot has happened since the last post.
I finally divorced United Airlines. This has been a long time coming. First, there was the gradual devaluation of 1K status. Then there was the announcement that Mileage Plus was going to a revenue model (like Delta). Even if you flew 100k BIS (Butt in Seat) miles in a calendar year, if you didn’t spend US$10,000 on said miles, you get no status. So much for loyalty. The final straw was the devaluation of the Star Alliance partner award chart, where tickets I regularly redeemed for went up from 40 to 120%. I miss my access to Star Alliance flights, but after UA jacked up the prices for these flights (cos they don’t want to pay for them and would prefer to keep their flyers captive on UA metal), it wasn’t worth the grief anymore.
I am now an Executive Platinum on American Airlines which means I will be flying OneWorld carriers going forward. So far, it’s been a mixed bag. In January, I flew British Airways in Premium Economy to Istanbul via LHR. If I needed a reminder of what I left behind on UA (old planes, older FAs), all I need to do is fly BA. Yes, it was that unimpressive. My next trip was to PVG on AA. It was pleasant enough, with my SWUs clearing despite me being on an el cheapo ticket. The hard product in C is 15 years too old though. Regardless, it beats steerage any day. The next trip will be on Cathay Pacific for a run to Hong Kong. This is a reunion of sorts because my first trip overseas was on CX. Am looking forward to their lounges in HKG.
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